gadrego Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 Its been confirmed that the Westfield is definately a write off and to rub salt into the wound my shed of a tintop has just failed its MOT and isn't worth repairing so I'm after one car that does it all. I've decided against another Westy for the time being. I think in the next couple of years I'll either get another or an Elise but having spent most of winter and spring spannering on the Westy I'm not ater anything that needs constant care and attention. Insurance is going to be hefty after 2 fault claims in the last 4 years leaving me with 0 NCB and I'm only 25. should have £8-£9k to play with but that's going to need to cover a year of insurance as well (I assume I'll lose my years cover once I get a settlement on the Westy??). I don't mind spending over a £1000 on insurance this year for the right car but I'm not exactly keen on the idea. To put it in perspective, a Honda Integra Type R is going to be around £1100. Suggestions welcome. Criteia to fulfil are fairly loose but must be relatively reliable, a degree of comfort, I only cover about 8000 miles a year but lots of that is long trips. Should be cheap to maintain and do more than 25 mpg. Practically isn't a major concern as long as two people and their luggage would squeeze in for a weekend break. Ideas so far: Integra DC2 Porsche 944 S2 BMW E36 M3 (non evo) BMW E46 328i with a few toys Also condsidering something at the cheaper end to build up a years NCB on: Pug 306 GTi-6 Mk1 Mx5 (either 1.8 or BBR) High Mile A4 2.8 Quattro BMW E36 328i Sport Any thoughts, ideas or ownership opinions? Never been this indecisive about a new car before! Quote
Terry Everall Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 Some of the models you are looking at will be need BIG insurance premiums. What about a Mazda MX5 Quote
Mrs Westy Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 I agree with Terry, some of those will be astronomical on the insurance I'm sure, I think a grand is a tad optimistic given your age and insurance history! I still pay around £500 on my Boxster and I'm a sensible lady driver of a reasonable age with full NCB and no accidents (admittedly there's him indoors as a named driver, though ) Personally I'd look at the full range of Audis, I think they are great cars, seem to be reliable and much more comfortable than the beemers, especially on long drives. Or some of the Seat range seem to be popular too. Quote
JeffC Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 wouldnt fancy owt on that list..they are a bit halfway house what about an Audi S4 seen them in the trade for around £7k, very tunable engine (2.7 turbo ) reasonabley good handling , and a good motorway car Quote
Bob Green Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 Personally I'd look at the full range of Audis, I think they are great cars, seem to be reliable and much more comfortable than the beemers, especially on long drives. Or some of the Seat range seem to be popular too. I totally agree. Quote
Rob Navin Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 and I'm a sensible lady driver of a reasonable age must resist Evning Mrs W Quote
gadrego Posted June 27, 2006 Author Posted June 27, 2006 All of the first 4 are within budget, just, insurance wise. Integra is actually the most expensive of those four oddly enough. I'm helped by the fact the car will be garaged and fairly low annual miles. Considering MX5 (see cheaper options), its probably the most sensible car on my list! Jeff, love the S4 but haven't got a quote on one. £7k seems to be the very bottom of the market and big miles unless you fancy finding me a cheapie at auction Quote
dern Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 I need b******* all practicality, anything that does more than 15mpg is for girls, it should enough enough torque to pull a tree down and I want it to be faster than a badger with a rocket up its A***. Have you considered a 4.6l seight? Quote
oioi Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 what about classic policy? only problem is you will not build up a NCB. porsche 968 might just sneak into budget? prices of toyota MR2 mk3 have dropped and would be affordable. MX5 is a great car but you will be disapointed by power, and they are hardwork on long runs. BBR would be good. perosnally if it was me it would have to be convertible, everything else is just a slightly less bland tin top. Quote
gadrego Posted June 27, 2006 Author Posted June 27, 2006 I need something with a British Leyland Engine, ideally it should have pushrods and should weigh enough to knock a tree down and I want it to drink fuel quicker than a badger with a rocket up its A***. Have you considered a 4.6l seight? Seems to tick all the right boxes Quote
gadrego Posted June 27, 2006 Author Posted June 27, 2006 what about classic policy? only problem is you will not build up a NCB. porsche 968 might just sneak into budget? prices of toyota MR2 mk3 have dropped and would be affordable. MX5 is a great car but you will be disapointed by power, and they are hardwork on long runs. BBR would be good. perosnally if it was me it would have to be convertible, everything else is just a slightly less bland tin top. Like the 968 idea Mike. Prices seem a little high in the UK at the moment but I've been looking at importing one from the Fatherland and its looking more managable. Whilst trawling German ads I also spotted something else rather special from Stutgart. In contact with the seller as we speak! BBR would probably be the only MX5 I'd consider right now although 1.8 seems ok. I'd considered a Smart Roadster but just too slow and I hate the gearchange. How do these classic policies work then? Quote
dern Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 944s are very good cars, I had a lux for a while and it was superb if a bit slow. I thought the S2 would be a perfect car for me this time around but chatting to a specialist about the things to look out for which are very hard to spot such as cam chain issues and (more expensively) cam wear coupled to those things that can go wrong while you have it (gearbox and torque tube for 2) it put me off. Great cars but I need something that I can spend as little time as possible fixing. 944s are good cars to work on but I don't want to spend the time doing it any more... need to get on with the locost, do more kayaking and see the kids more. I'm considering a uk turbo scooby. You can get 99 cars for 5k and it's fast and practical. I can get the kids in, the kayaks on and tow the locost so seems ideal on the face of it. In short... ignore all of the above and buy the one that you simply want most. It'll get the monkey off your back and chances are you'll enjoy it the most. Regards, Mark Quote
Muttley Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 I had a 944 S2 for 4 years - bl**** loved every minute of it! Fantastic engine, 3.0ltr in-line 4 pot that would rev to over 8K Loads of torque and soooo smooth even from cold. You won't get much more than your 25mpg, especially in winter. Full dealer/specialist service history is a must. Good luck! Muttley Quote
Carl Posted June 28, 2006 Posted June 28, 2006 MR2 Roadster? Handles very well (not much different to an elise), Toyota reliabilty, good economy and reasonably practical. The better half has one and I was very surprised at how fun and capable it was for a modern car (especially a Toyota) Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.